Guys tore my Achilles last week wakeboarding, I shorted a flip and landed heavy on my toes. I felt and heard the dreaded pop. Sounded a lot like my ACL when it went but not as painful at first. Had Surgery on Wednesday. What's recovery like on this injury? Pretty painful today. I changed my cast out yesterday to a little more neutral position and I'm in pain now. I'm 34 year old and don't want this to be the end of my wakeboarding but looking like it might be. What's recovery like with this injury can you return to wakeboarding or did I just become a surfer?

Also, on a completely unrelated topic anyone interested in a 2005 Xstar Blue/Black color with a brand new boatmate trailer black/blue color rockstar wheels ($9K new), PWT ballast, Full Wetsounds system, New custom cover, OJ 14x14.75 prop and pretty much anything else I could find to dump money into this thing. It only has 173 hours. I'll take $42K. No reason to have a boat payment if I can't use it. The boat is really nice. I had the drive plate replaced last year so you won't have that problem which is typical for these boats.

Took my buddy a solid year to recover at age 21. Wish you the best of luck. Be sure to be rigorous with your PT, and don't let the injury keep you on the couch while you suck down beers and chow on garbage food. Buddy is now playing hockey, wakeboarding, and snowboarding again so if you make sure you stay with it you should be able to get back to close to 100%.

Be sure to be rigorous with your PT, and don't let the injury keep you on the couch while you suck down beers and chow on garbage food.

I'm a PT and see a few of these a year and you can tell who takes the rehab serious and who does the minimum just to walk normally. The recovery is long because you have to be gentle for the first 12 weeks to allow normal healing then you have to fight all the muscle atrophy that occurred in the mean time. Kobe Bryant is going through the same thing and is the same age so use that as motivation as he'll likely be back on the court this coming year.

Good luck! If you want to work out a partial trade for rehab in exchange for the star I'd be all ears lol

Sorry to hear about your injury...
I had a full rupture in '06. About a year to be back to normal, but about three years to not think about it. I babied mine for a long time. Happened in June, was behind boat the next season. I did mine playing basketball. Doc said it happens most often to 30-somethings who think they are still 20-somethings... Guilty! Good luck with recovery.

Nicholas being gentle on it for 12 weeks will be my biggest challenge. I was doing body weight squats 3 weeks after my ACL repair 2 years ago. Probably not ideal but seems good now. I did wear the locking brace the entire time. Could I start swimming once the stiches heal in 3 weeks? Just wondering. Also, you better be one good PT for a $42K trade.

As for the boat I posted it under the classifieds section on wake world. There are 3 xstars mine is the 05.

Ryan I bet I have the same issues. It took me 6 months to attempt the trick I tore my ACL on and I stuck it first time. The head will probably be worse than the body. I really hope a year can be condensed to 9 months but that sounds pretty standard. I just want to get 100% don't really care if it takes me until july of next year I still love Riding and am not ready to give it up. That being said if I feel the slightest pain riding next year I'm done being broken down sucks.

Could I start swimming once the stiches heal in 3 weeks? Just wondering. Also, you better be one good PT for a $42K trade.
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I'm not going to say what you can and cannot do (standard answer) but I think pool exercises would likely start around 4-6 weeks if the wound is completely healed. As far as being worth 42k, well that is open for debate but you could have a standing appointment for the next 5 years lol.

being 33 yr old, only one that works in the family, and makes a great salary(work in oilfield so its physical labor) this is one of the main reasons i dont care about getting into doing flips and rolls on the wakeboard. if this injury was to happen to me my family would suffer greatly all because i wanted to act 18 on a wakeboard LOL.

people talk crap about surfing all the time, BUT let them talk. at least i will be not having to worry about paying my bills, and i still have a blast on the water every time i go out.

I actually priced disability insurance this year and decided it was too expensive. It’s looking pretty cheap now LOL. Thank goodness I have an office Job. I'm an Engineering/QC manager so I'm in a wheel chair on the plant floor for the next few months.

being 33 yr old, only one that works in the family, and makes a great salary(work in oilfield so its physical labor) this is one of the main reasons i dont care about getting into doing flips and rolls on the wakeboard. if this injury was to happen to me my family would suffer greatly all because i wanted to act 18 on a wakeboard LOL.

people talk crap about surfing all the time, BUT let them talk. at least i will be not having to worry about paying my bills, and i still have a blast on the water every time i go out.

Amen brother. Those are exactly my thoughts too. I'm in the same boat too. Pun intended.

OP - your return from the injury is largely a matter of how much effort you out into rehab, but you should absolutely be able to come back.

Terrell Suggs was back playing linebacker for the Ravens in about 9 months, Kobe Bryant is expected back for the Lakers sometime between 6-9 months from his surgery, and Chauncey Billups returned from the same injury in his late 30s also in less than a year. Granted they are all professional athletes with nothing better to do with their time than rehab plus have trainers out the wazoo making sure they do it right, but at the same time they are pushing their bodies to the limit while playing.

I didn't do an Achilles, but did rupture my hamstring tendon last year... Was back wakeboarding at around 8-9 months if I recall the timing right, and mi older than you. You'll be back... Guarantee it.

I'm 32 and tore my achilles late Febuary. I can now ride pain free but still not doing any inverts. I still lack a lot of strength! Figure it will take a year before I'm 100%. I've actually learned a lot from the injury. I've been rideing switch more and dialing in surface tricks. Now that I'm jumping agian I don't want to crash some I'm working on consistancy and basic stuff (grabs and 180s). Overall my riding has improved. Good luck! The first few months suck.

Just need say "Holly crap what a month John"... major injury-surgery-sold boat all within a month... I'm sorry to hear about all this. You sound fairly upbeat, I'd be devastated. We work so hard to be able to do this sport! I was out for over a year with surgeries for tumors in my skull and all I could think about was getting back on the water. That was when I was 30'ish, I'm 35 now and I'm riding my at my highest level. So you'll be back! We had an instructor come out after about 2-3 months back on the water and that really helped me progress too where I was 18 months prior.

Just a quick update for you guys. I know I looked for this tread so heres an update on recovery. Hope it will help someone else in the future.

Cut the cast off 2 days after the surgery. I couldn't deal with it. They put me in a boot and I've been that way ever since.

First 4 weeks after surgery suck. No other way to put it. Crutches and walking boot.

6 weeks post-surgery now no crutches but still have the boot. Doing basic muscle building exercises in PT. Pretty much worthless at this point I hope it picks up over the next 3 weeks or I'm going to just do it on my own.

I've been pushing it a little too hard on my own in the gym and around the house. I have too much flexibility at this point and with this recover at this stage that's a bad thing. The PT says I'm still ok but not to push it. I really feel like I would be able to walk fine without it but the DR says 3 more weeks in the boot for protection. The pain has really not been that bad (took pain pills for 2 days post op and that was it). I equate it pretty much to ACL surgery just can't do much other than sit around and get fat. I have been hitting the gym pretty hard for upper body. Really going for the full chicken look. Wide chest no legs. Thank goodness my natural genetics lean that way. LOL

It's a slow recovery so far but hoping to get back in the swing of things once the boot comes off. Planning a late season surf run at the least.

Just a quick update for you guys. I know I looked for this tread so heres an update on recovery. Hope it will help someone else in the future.

Cut the cast off 2 days after the surgery. I couldn't deal with it. They put me in a boot and I've been that way ever since.

First 4 weeks after surgery suck. No other way to put it. Crutches and walking boot.

6 weeks post-surgery now no crutches but still have the boot. Doing basic muscle building exercises in PT. Pretty much worthless at this point I hope it picks up over the next 3 weeks or I'm going to just do it on my own.

I've been pushing it a little too hard on my own in the gym and around the house. I have too much flexibility at this point and with this recover at this stage that's a bad thing. The PT says I'm still ok but not to push it. I really feel like I would be able to walk fine without it but the DR says 3 more weeks in the boot for protection. The pain has really not been that bad (took pain pills for 2 days post op and that was it). I equate it pretty much to ACL surgery just can't do much other than sit around and get fat. I have been hitting the gym pretty hard for upper body. Really going for the full chicken look. Wide chest no legs. Thank goodness my natural genetics lean that way. LOL

It's a slow recovery so far but hoping to get back in the swing of things once the boot comes off. Planning a late season surf run at the least.

This is awesome.. You're the guy who knows more than the experts.. You have MD's and PT's showing you the ropes and you're going to go it alone..

In 5 years you will regret this attitude.. I suggest you follow course and follow the instruction of the people who are highly paid to do this 365 days a year.

Another quick update. Now I'm 3.5 months post op. Pretty much 100% walking fine without any issues. PT is happening still about once every week or so depending on my schedule. I've had full range of motion for a month so I really didn't have any trouble making the transition from the walking boot to a shoe. I have more pain now than at the beginning. Mainly from all the strength training stuff that I'm doing. I've been surfing some for the last 3 weeks, mainly just get up and cruise behind the boat no jumping or spinning. Dr and PT both say I'm ahead of the curve by at least a month. Now I need to start the search for a winter deal on a boat. Thinking another old Super Air 210 or maybe something a little more surf inspired. I did look at a Malibu 247 the other day but that thing was a ship I don't need anything that big.

Another Update. I'm at 6 months post op. No issues with walking or running. Doing full workouts now with no restrictions. Still have a lot of pain in my Achilles but the DR says it takes up to a year for that to go away. The bad Achilles is two to three times as thick as the good one which is also common.